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Connecting Public Health and the Food Industry: Voluntary Commitments to Reduce Sodium Amy Loew, MS, RD May 10, 2016

•  Factors leading to General Mills’ (GMI) voluntary commitment

•  Approaches used to reduce sodium

•  Results of commitment

•  Summary and next steps  

General Mills’ Voluntary Sodium Commitment

April 2010 public announcement: •  Reduce sodium by 20% in 10

key US retail product categories by end of 2015

GMI’s Voluntary Sodium Commitment

•  Sodium reduction is part of our overall commitment to improve the health profile of our products •  See our 2016 Global Responsibility Report for more information

•  20% goal was purposefully challenging and aggressive

•  Broad public health interest in sodium reduction

Background on Commitment •  Focused where we could make the greatest impact

•  Categories based on sales volume and impact of sodium reduction •  Example: yogurt not included

•  Used weighted averages based on sales volume and sodium/serving •  High volume products have more impact than low volume

•  10 Categories: cereals, dry dinners, frozen pizza, Mexican dinners, refrigerated dough, savory snacks, canned veg, side dishes, soups and variety baking mixes

Taste is the main driver of consumer food purchases! •  Salt plays a key role in consumer taste preferences

Approaches to Reduce Sodium

Our Approach: •  Small, incremental steps •  Deliver taste consumers expect •  Reduce sodium gradually, over time •  Give consumers time to adapt to

lower sodium levels

•  Silent, “stealth" changes •  Sodium reductions not advertised •  Most consumers associate “lower

sodium” with “bad tasting”

What function(s) does sodium play in food?

A. Taste

B. Texture

C. Shelf Life

D. Food Safety

E. All of the above

Polling Questions

What are some key sources of sodium in food?

A. Flavors, spices and seasonings

B. Baking soda and baking powder

C. Salt

D. Naturally occurring

E. All of the above

•  Sodium plays multiple roles •  Taste •  Texture •  Shelf life •  Food safety

•  Many sources of sodium •  Salt •  Baking soda and powder •  Flavors, spices and seasonings •  Naturally occurring

Sodium Reduction: Not A “One Size Fits All” Solution

There is no single technological solution across all products or within a category

Sodium Reduction Approaches

• Reduced salt in sauce  

• Enhanced spice blend

Frozen  Pizza  

• Reduced salt

• Switched to different leavening ingredients

Pancake  &  Baking  Mixes  

• Optimized seasoning blend

• Adjusted placement of sodium  

Snack  Mix  

Cereals  

• Lower sodium category

• Balance between salt, sugar & fat

• Reduced salt

Dry Dinners  &  Soups  

• Reduced salt

• Increased & enhanced flavors & spices

Results of General Mills Commitment

•  Met or exceeded 20% reduction goal in 7 of 10 categories •  >350 products •  >1/3 of US Retail Volume

Final weighted sodium reduction percentages

Summary and Next Steps

•  Taste is the most important attribute of a food! A food must meet consumer taste expectations, or it won’t be consumed.

•  Sodium reduction is extremely challenging – it is not simply reducing salt: •  Sodium has many critical functions in food – taste, texture, shelf

life and food safety •  Small, incremental changes are more acceptable and sustainable

than dramatic, extreme changes

•  What’s next? •  GMI has taken a leadership role in helping consumers meet public

health recommendations - this commitment is a significant step in the right direction

•  Anticipate FDA category targets